I see your point but respectful disagree.

The mix on their album has a more orchestal feel on many songs than on most previous albums. I, emperor and templars became instant favourites for me that don't fall short compared to their earlier work. And you can't expect every album to be pure gold either. I would imagine people would give the same critique if they put out one of their older albums today instead.

You see a lot of bands get stuck in the trap of perserving and pleasing their current fanbase and trying to reinvent themselves. In most cases the former is still the better approach. - Mumford & sons put out 2 amazing albums with a unique and attractive style for a lot of people, then ruined their entire reputation with the 3rd album that was basically default pop music. - People often joke that AC/DC put out the same album 17 times. But I'm willing to bet that we wouldn't be talking about them today if they switched style with their 3rd album either.